BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU

LANSING -- Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday approved sweeping reforms of state law governing the carrying of concealed weapons, changes that will make it possible for more citizens in more communities to obtain permits to carry them.

The votes in the state House (62-39) and Senate (23-13) came after years of debate. The Legislature has backed away from CCW reform more than once because of outcry over school shootings.

Backers of the legislation have long said that the law unnecessarily restricts ordinary citizens' constitutional right to bear arms. They also say that liberalized CCW laws reduce crime because criminals are less likely to victimize someone who may be armed.

Gov. John Engler has said he will sign the bill.

But opponents accused the legislators of cowardice for taking the measure up during a lame duck session after the November election and said they will seek a public vote to overturn it.

People who support CCW reform are paranoid, said Rep. Laura Baird, D-Okemos. "If you think the world is that dangerous, you aren't doing your job," she said.

Opponents also suggested that increasing the number of citizens authorized to carry firearms will lead to more firearms violence, a claim vigorously disputed by the bill's backers.

The most significant reform in the legislation removes the discretion of county gun boards to deny CCW permits. If the new law goes into effect, Michigan would join more than 30 states that have so-called shall-issue CCW regimes that require permits be issued to those who meet minimum standards and have not been convicted of crimes or involuntarily committed for the treatment of mental illness.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, wrote Engler late Wednesday urging him to veto the bill. He said the legislation would increase the number of concealed weapons permits by removing the discretion of local boards to require a demonstration of need.

Backers of the revised CCW legislation said critics are mistaken to characterize the new provisions as more lenient. Rep. Mike Green, R-Mayville, said the new law would make Michigan the "most strict shall-issue state in the country."

The new CCW restrictions would require:

That the age limit for CCW permit applicants be raised from 18 to 21.

• That permit holders be excluded from carrying weapons in schools, churches, bars and sports arenas.
• That each applicant complete a gun safety course.
• That a much wider range of criminal convictions or charges, including misdemeanors, would bar the issuance of a permit.

Although some gun-rights activists complained that the new regulations would make it more difficult to obtain a permit and criminalize activities that current CCW license holders take for granted, the bill sustained support from the Legislature's most prominent supporters of the right to keep and bear arms.

The bill's opponents repeated Wednesday their vow to overturn the legislation if it becomes law.

A coalition led by Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and Wayne County Prosecutor-elect Michael Duggan had planned to try to keep the regulations from being implemented by collecting petition signatures before April 1, when it would probably take effect. But the revised legislation also included a $1-million appropriation to offset the expense of new requirements, and appropriations cannot be delayed by referendum.

Some opponents suggested that a court might strike that provision. But even if it is upheld, the issue could be taken to the voters as a ballot proposal in 2002.

Source: Detroit Free Press